Existing switches that are used, for example, in electronic equipment, electrical appliances and vehicles, such as automobiles, trucks and vans, on steering wheels, dashboards and center consoles, are typically either straight push type switches or rocking switches. In both cases the switches are assembled using retention hardware, such as screws, to maintain the alignment between switch components and the integrity/security of the switch. However, since the screws used in existing switches are accessible from outside the switch, the screws can be easily removed to open the switch, thereby breaching the security of the switch and potentially disrupting the alignment between switch components.
One option proposed in the art to address this issue was to use one or more metal pins inserted through multiple layers of the switch to join the switch components together. However, insertion of the metal pins through multiple layers of the switch is difficult in mass-production assembly. There is also no way to conceal the metal pins from the outside, which results in the security of the switch being easily breached.
What is needed is a switch that is self-locking that provides security for the switch mechanism and cannot be opened from the outside without breaking one or more components of the switch.